Rockville man killed in motorcycle crash in Gaithersburg Sunday

Rider strikes curb on Great Seneca Highway

A Rockville man was killed Sunday night after losing control of his motorcycle on Great Seneca Highway in Gaithersburg, police said.

Saharath Rochanavichit, 41, of the 13500 block of Oriental Street in Rockville, was driving northbound on Great Seneca Highway when, at approximately 8:40 p.m., his 2009 Ducati motorcycle struck the curb near the intersection with High Gables Drive and he was thrown from the vehicle, said Montgomery County police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks.

The circumstances of the crash remained under investigation by the department’s Collision Reconstruction Unit as of Monday afternoon, Starks said.

“We don’t know what occurred — we don’t know why he hit this curb — but if you’re on a bike and you hit a curb, there’s not a whole lot holding you on,” Starks said. “You can become separated; then you’re at the mercy of science and inertia.”

Starks was not able to say if speed was a factor in the crash. He added that speed can play a role in any accident, potentially more so when a motorcycle is involved.

“It affects everything, it reduces your time to react; you’re going to be traveling more feet per second during the time it takes you to realize that you have to slow down,” he said.

Collision experts are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact the reconstruction unit at 301-840-2435.